Wall tiles in HDB kitchens and bathrooms suddenly crack and pop off – is poor workmanship the cause again?

Following reports of “exploding” floor tiles in Housing Development Board (HDB) public housing units, homeowners have been highlighting that the tiles on the walls of their units are also becoming dislodged and falling off the walls in alarming new reports.

More homeowners have reported that the wall tiles in their kitchens and bathrooms have been popping up and becoming dislodged, after this video of wall tiles falling off the kitchen wall in a HDB flat began circulating online:

The homeowner or tenant who shot the video appears to have posted the video online anonymously but claims that the unit featured in the video is a 20-year-old HDB flat located in Jurong West and that the tiles came loose a few months before the video was shot so they secured it with tape before that measure too failed.

Others reported experiencing the same thing in their homes after the video was shared on social media.

One homeowner who lives at Punggol, Roland Tan, revealed that he experienced the same thing but that HDB allegedly claimed that they cannot help him as his home is over 15 years old:

“this is ridiculous !!! my tile also just came off last Saturday!! I heard a cracking sound in the kitchen and went to investigate and saw the tile beginning popping up I quickly get tape to tap it up before it came crushing down otherwise the result could be fatal as the tile is above head. I have contacted HDB and they claim flats over 15 yrs has no more warranty?? and we should bear the cost of repairing ! I’m still awaiting for their contractor to come quote cost of repairing. This is at Punggol.

“Is #HDB#PunggolHDB slacking in the Quality of their workmanship in the last 20 years?”

Another netizen, Mylet Ramos Almaiz, said that the same thing happened in the bathroom of her flat located in Leonie:

“Same here in leonie, I suspect it’s because of the drilling in the road. Tiles coming off from the wall sounds scary. It slowly come off like from the thriller movies and I’m expecting it will drop on me while I’m using the toilet.lucky I’m safe. There’s a lot of crack lines on the TOP part and tiles are slowly bending that anytime its ready to fall.”

Angry netizens have blamed HDB for apparently taking no action to rectify their situations:

Mohammad Dzulkifli: “Called HDB on sat, redirected to town council EMS. They took down details and say to wait on Mon for HDB to call back. Didn’t receive any call today. Been contacting HDB, cannot get through. My flat in woodlands affected. Dangerous for our 11 mth old baby.”

Harvinder Kaur: “I’m having the same problem. Called on Friday, Saturday and today morning. Told they have informed contractor to call. Till now no picture no sound. The crack spread 70% of the hse. N continuing. HDB can’t be bothered.”

Jon Zephanius: “You promise much but cannot deliver. My toilet ceiling has been leaking since MAY LAST YEAR and you still haven’t fixed it! All your officer does is refuse to answer emails, only calls where there is no black and white. He never calls us back, we have to call him and INVITE him and BEG HIM to do something! Then he always promises us next week next week for 8 MONTHS. It’s already coming to CNY and we will have a leaking house. What are you people doing?”

The sudden “exploding” tiles issue is apparently not new to the authorities. In Parliament last year, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong reported that the HDB received about 2000 complaints regarding “exploding tiles” per year in 2015 and 2016. He further explained:

“Tiles, like all fittings, fixtures and finishes in a flat, are subject to wear and tear over time. They may dislodge due to various reasons, such as differential thermal expansion and contraction of tiles, or the natural deterioration of the bond between the tiles and the screed surface. All these can cause a loss of adhesion between the tiles and the screed surface, and the dislodgement of tiles. In the past two years, HDB received about 2,000 cases of dislodged floor tiles per year. This works out to a nationwide yearly average of about two cases per 1,000 dwelling units, or 0.2% per year.”

The Minister added that homeowners are responsible for maintaining their flats:

“Flat owners are responsible for the maintenance of their flats, including repairs for general wear and tear. In private developments, developers generally only rectify dislodged tiles during the 1-year Defect Liability Period (DLP). Some developers may offer repair for dislodged tiles for a slightly longer period, for example, three years, but those are generally done on a goodwill basis.

“HDB’s practice has been more generous – besides helping flat owners repair dislodged tiles originally provided by HDB during the 1-year DLP, it also offers goodwill repairs for dislodged tiles for up to 15 years. For flats that are older than 15 years of age, HDB will help carry out inspections and assist the owners to remove and dispose of the affected tiles. HDB can also provide owners with a list of registered repair contractors, whom they can then engage on a private basis.”

The problem is that among the 70%, I would say that half of that are totally unscrupulous, and sadly the other half is totally gullible and whose minds have been utterly pulverized by the PAP propaganda machine.

So not only they accept the lousy, substandard materials and workmanship, they also praise and worship their overlords as being so good , so clever and so generous. They love being whipped by their tormentors.

KS Neoh so you expect everyone to be kind and nice and giving?
Btw, the gullible ones are the 30% who wish for something they have no freaking idea what’s it all about. But they think they are enlightened because it makes their stupidity less obvious.

And they are a bunch of sorry ass pussies who despite claiming to be intelligent, their fate is decided by the stupid ones. How dumb can they be!

Michael G R Lum To me, I can’t comments on other countries, the only 3rd world country I’ve been referring to is Sinkapoor. Pinky & his gang are world class paid but the hell version of his dad & his strong guards. LKY era is long over.

Dilys Tan that’s right, you can’t comment on what’s third world because you have no freaking idea what that is!

If Singapore is hell then why are you still here!? You’re those kind that dunno where the opportunities are to prosper in Singapore but keep complaining about every freaking thing because nothing is free! And you don’t have the means nor the ability to have what you dream of

All the rots are surfacing for charging top dollars but using interior materials. I wonder if when will the columns starting to show signs of deterioration and what will their excuse be. 15 years no more warranty? Same for the rail system when the butch neglects maintenance for the sake profit nothing happen what. It is only after many years of deterioration that problems start surfacing. HDB chief of communication better be scare as they have set the precedent of sacking the communication chief for operating issues.

It is not just the workmanship; has to do with the quality of the cement used to stick the tiles to the wall. Seems to have lost its adhesion strength. A paramount showcase example of the classical Chinese saying, “偷工减料”。

I suggest the school book publishers include these popping tile cases as prime illustrations so that students can get a clearer picture

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